A dynamic young Egyptian firm has won an $11,000 innovation prize for an off-grid, solar-powered water pump. Judges of the first HCT-Wharton Innovation Tournament held last week in Abu Dhabi were impressed by KarmSolar because their design could easily have a high impact on great numbers of people, reduce dependency on diesel, and it would […]
World Banks funds new irrigation project for Afghans. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization is boosting its technical support for rehabilitation of Afghanistan‘s dilapidated traditional irrigation systems, in a bid to help farmers increase crop production. The initiative also aims to improve the knowledge and skills that farmers need to run and maintain irrigation systems. […]
Oxygen aerators at Israel’s IDF Nevatim Air Force Base are purifying sewage water for irrigation use. Photo: Trlabarge/Wikipedia Many modern armies are now practicing clean technology by using equipment run on solar energy. This also holds true for the Israeli Defense Forces known as the IDF which aims to be greener. One of the prime issues […]
Like Tel Aviv and Beirut, Gaza’s getting a boardwalk, but development threatens ancient Roman ruins. For years, it was a dusty, often garbage-strewn asphalt ribbon winding along Gaza City’s otherwise beautiful Mediterranean coast. Today, it’s a construction site, with heavy equipment plowing sand into position, digging tunnels and laying pipes. But if the plans proceed […]
Hezbollah’s million-tree campaign blends green rhetoric with military strategy, turning reforestation into an 'eco-jihad.' What looks like tree-hugging doubles as camouflage for weapons, fighters, and a future war with Israel.
Greensoil, an investment firm from Canada will fund Israeli agritech companies with a reported $12 million. Cash from Canada will be funding clean technology companies in Israel. A new Canadian fund called Greensoil looks to build Israeli agritech companies with the launch of a $12 million CAN fund. Greensoil investors say they will invest in […]
This pipe was slated for use on Libya’s ambitious Man Made River project. The Omar Mukhtar Reservoir in Libya’s southern desert is the second largest in the world, and an integral component of the $20 billion Great Man-Made River project (GMMR). Begun in 1984, the mammoth pipeline designed to transport water from the south to […]
Desert pivot irrigation project is one of Gaddafi’s several “eco wonders” that could be axed In a way, it might be possible to have empathy for Libya’s embattled head of state, Muamar al Gadaffi, whose beloved green projects all over this desert kingdom may soon be coming to an abrupt end. Prior to all the […]
If it works as claimed, the Earthmister will go a long way toward greening the deserts. In the water scarce Middle East, a new type of crop irrigation device may prove to be a boon to growing crops. Called the “Earthmister” this system is said to use up to 80% less water than conventional irrigation […]
Hotter summers, intense irrigation and threats of losing their Nile, Egyptians are under quota for water compared to other Arab nations. They take to the streets. Looking at Google Earth (above) truly shows how Egypt is a fertile crescent of the region. But in the face of losing water from the Nile, tens of thousands […]
New agriculture projects feed Libya, thanks to the Great Man Made River. The artificial irrigation project, the most expensive in history, is good while it lasts. BENGHAZI, Libya — Greg Cunningham is a long, long way from home. Since early 2004, the Colorado agribusiness consultant has lived in eastern Libya — growing wheat and corn […]
Libyan pivot irrigation at Al KHufrah Oasis: These are not crop circles or part of an Alien movie plot! Libya, in North Africa, now drilling for oil with BP is a country that is not exactly known for having ample quantities of fresh water let alone enough water to be used to any extent in agriculture. […]
When we think of the environment today, the West looks like the clear leader. But did you know that some of the world's most important discoveries originated in the Middle East?
All the forecasts about water causing the next major Middle East conflict has started. An Iraqi government employee in the irrigation department, along with his family, are murdered – over water. In the early hours of 18 June, gunmen broke into Faisal Hassan’s west Baghdad home killing him, his wife and their two young children. […]